Deconhttp://decon.co
We work with agencies, brands, and storytellers to affect the way people think, move, and act.Thu, 15 Feb 2018 21:23:49 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4Steven Caple Jr. Makes Forbes’ 30 Under 30 2018!http://decon.co/1954/steven-caple-jr-makes-forbes-30-under-30-2018/
http://decon.co/1954/steven-caple-jr-makes-forbes-30-under-30-2018/#respondTue, 14 Nov 2017 18:25:28 +0000http://decon.co/?p=1954We’re constantly impressed by everything Steven Caple Jr. fits under his belt. We’re now proud to say that Steven is a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2018. Congratulations!]]>We’re constantly impressed by everything Steven Caple Jr. fits under his belt. We’re now proud to say that Steven is a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2018. Congratulations!

]]>http://decon.co/1954/steven-caple-jr-makes-forbes-30-under-30-2018/feed/0JEAN Wins A Clio!http://decon.co/1936/jean-wins-a-clio/
http://decon.co/1936/jean-wins-a-clio/#respondFri, 03 Nov 2017 17:13:40 +0000http://decon.co/?p=1936The one and only, JEAN, racked yet another trophy, and scored a bronze in Clio Entertainment for their collaboration with Lifetime Network. Congratulations guys!]]>The one and only, JEAN, racked yet another trophy, and scored a bronze in Clio Entertainment for their collaboration with Lifetime Network. Congratulations guys!
]]>http://decon.co/1936/jean-wins-a-clio/feed/0Van Black Joins DECON Rosterhttp://decon.co/1869/van-black-joins-decon-roster/
http://decon.co/1869/van-black-joins-decon-roster/#respondThu, 12 Oct 2017 21:02:59 +0000http://decon.co/?p=1869Creative production company DECON has signed director Van Black for U.S. commercial representation. The New York-based filmmaker, photographer and multimedia artist’s cinematic storytelling delicately captures the nuances of life, celebrating people as everyday heroes in her work spanning commercial, episodic series, long form narratives and interactive media projects. She brings a unique cultural perspective and...]]>

Creative production company DECON has signed director Van Black for U.S. commercial representation. The New York-based filmmaker, photographer and multimedia artist’s cinematic storytelling delicately captures the nuances of life, celebrating people as everyday heroes in her work spanning commercial, episodic series, long form narratives and interactive media projects. She brings a unique cultural perspective and authenticity to projects for brands such as Gap, Absolut, Playtex and Cadillac. Her “Be a Witness: VIACOM x Witness” projection mapping project earned a 2016 PromaxBDA Award for ‘Best PSA Campaign.’ Known for putting an unexpected spin on classic archetypes, Black combines a fascination with personal stories and surrealism in everyday life to challenge and re-examine popular viewpoints of the world. Most recently, she worked with New York-based agency YARD on a recently released Athleta campaign featuring a group of cancer survivors who have found community, belonging, and renewed hope through their crew team.

“Van has her hands on so many types of projects and has really been able to team up with some incredible people, agencies, and brands to tell powerful stories in many mediums that somehow are weighty and important while still managing to find that thread of entertainment and lightness,” Notes DECON Executive Producer Misha Louy.

“Mike Lobikis, [Head of Strategy & Development] and I looked at each other during our first pitch meeting with her and we knew we needed her on the DECON roster for not only commercial work, but experiences and overall creative representation. This is a human being with super powers waiting to be unearthed by the right group of people with the right opportunity.”

Adds Black, “DECON has a fun and creative atmosphere and they really have their finger on the pulse of what is interesting. I’m pumped to be a part of such a young, culture-driven company that just gets it and also extends their reach to music, long form and documentary projects outside of commercials.”

Beyond branded work, Black has helmed a myriad of cause-driven projects under her own banner, BLKFLM, working with the likes of Al Gore, The United Nations, UNICEF, Appian Way and teen activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez along with scores of passion projects, including conflict journalism during events such as the Ukrainian Revolution. Leveraging a counterculture lens to examine politics, Black’s work has earned widespread media recognition, landing in such top publications as National Geographic, CNN, VICE, Rolling Stone, HuffPost, Esquire, Mic, Upworthy, Refinery29, Teen Vogue, i-D Magazine, BuzzFeed, MSNBC, The Guardian, BBC and more. A lifelong storyteller, Black holds a B.A. in Film Production from the University of Southern California’s prestigious School of Cinematic Arts.

]]>http://decon.co/1869/van-black-joins-decon-roster/feed/0Estevan Oriol – Peace Briefshttp://decon.co/1825/estevan-oriol-peace-briefs/
http://decon.co/1825/estevan-oriol-peace-briefs/#respondMon, 02 Oct 2017 16:23:21 +0000http://decon.co/?p=1825‘PLEASE DON’T SHOOT’: PEACE GROUP CREATES UNDERWEAR TO SAVE LIVES Saturday Morning’s Peace Briefs Credit: DECON street photographer Estevan Oriol Saturday Morning, a coalition for peace and change around racial inequality formed last year by several African-American creative leaders, has developed a line of underwear intended to save lives. The “Peace Briefs” are designed to...]]>

‘PLEASE DON’T SHOOT’: PEACE GROUP CREATES UNDERWEAR TO SAVE LIVES

Saturday Morning, a coalition for peace and change around racial inequality formed last year by several African-American creative leaders, has developed a line of underwear intended to save lives.

The “Peace Briefs” are designed to reduce violence and tension between police officers and minorities and have these phrases printed on the waistbands: I am Not Armed, Please Don’t Shoot, I Have a Family, My Life Matters, I am a Father and We Don’t Hate.

Why messages on normally unseen underwear? Keith Cartwright, executive creative director of Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners, and a member of Saturday Morning, says it is because when police tell you to raise your arms in the air, your shirt rides up and the waistband of your briefs show. He says that the goal is to reduce tension in situations when a person is the being harassed or accosted based on what they look like and told to surrender or lie on the ground.

Geoff Edwards, co-head creative at CAA, and another member of the group, says Saturday Morning tapped into urban culture, as well as personal experiences, to create the boxer briefs. He says the idea is “to bridge the gap between the police and the neighborhoods they serve and create an understanding between the two.”

In Chicago, where “the concentration of dissidence between the police and the south side of the City is at all time high,” there were 762 murders recorded in 2016, the highest in the history of the city, according to Cartwright.

Additionally, underwear came to mind for the effort because it’s the first thing you put on in the morning, says Edwards, so it’s the first statement you make when starting the day.

The product, however, is likely to generate more awareness than sales, though they are available for purchase. “Peace Briefs” are available online at www.peacebriefs.com and proceeds from the proceeds will fund free distribution of the briefs to inner city youth in Chicago, Los Angeles and other markets.

“It’s not just for the community you’d expect to wear it,” says Cartwright. “We want it to be embraced by all people in support of the message and the cause . It’s not just about the individuals crying out for help.”

The briefs are unisex, Cartwright adds, because it’s a social issue – not a gender issue.

“We believe that a simple idea can actually make an effect,” says Edwards. “We believe the same minds that have created some of the best marketing can create ideas to help people and we’ve never needed it more than now. The country has never been more volatile and we’ve never been more separated.”

Saturday Morning has educational alliances Syracuse University and VCU’s Brand Center, both of which are making the organization’s specific briefs around peace – such as reducing violence between police and the communities they serve – part of their curriculums for students.

The organization also has partnerships with Procter & Gamble and Twitter. Jayanta Jenkins, global creative director at Twitter, is one of Saturday Morning’s founding partners. Fourth Founding Partner Jimmy Smith, chairman, CEO and chief creative officer of Amusement Park, continues to support the cause, but no longer has the bandwidth to work with the group on a day-to-day basis, says Cartwright.

Saturday Morning is also expanding outside of the U.S., with Twitter’s team in Asia working with the organization on Peace Briefs for its own markets. And the group is teaming up with Working Not Working to create an initiative to help more people of color find internships in the industry.

]]>http://decon.co/1825/estevan-oriol-peace-briefs/feed/0JEAN Wins Shorty Awards!http://decon.co/1500/jean-wins-shorty-awards/
http://decon.co/1500/jean-wins-shorty-awards/#respondFri, 05 May 2017 18:17:51 +0000http://decon.co/?p=1500JEAN and our friends at Decoded pocketed another award for their campaign with Dollar Shave Club, The Dull Life, this time with The Shorty Awards. Congratulations guys! Check out the entire entry below. ]]>JEAN and our friends at Decoded pocketed another award for their campaign with Dollar Shave Club, The Dull Life, this time with The Shorty Awards. Congratulations guys! Check out the entire entry below.

]]>http://decon.co/1500/jean-wins-shorty-awards/feed/0Burn Motherfucker, Burn – Highest Rated LA Riot Doc by IndieWirehttp://decon.co/1504/burn-motherfucker-burn-highest-rated-la-riot-doc-by-indiewire/
http://decon.co/1504/burn-motherfucker-burn-highest-rated-la-riot-doc-by-indiewire/#respondFri, 05 May 2017 18:17:43 +0000http://decon.co/?p=1504Sacha Jenkins managed to do it once again, pulling the highest rating in a slew of documentaries on the same subject matter. In a pool of legendary filmmaking names including, TJ Martin, John Ridley and John Singleton, IndieWire gave the highest rating with an “A” to Burn Motherfucker, Burn. Read the full article below ]]>

Sacha Jenkins managed to do it once again, pulling the highest rating in a slew of documentaries on the same subject matter. In a pool of legendary filmmaking names including, TJ Martin, John Ridley and John Singleton, IndieWire gave the highest rating with an “A” to Burn Motherfucker, Burn.

Read the full article below

]]>http://decon.co/1504/burn-motherfucker-burn-highest-rated-la-riot-doc-by-indiewire/feed/0Estevan Oriol x Adidas – UNRTD Mag Interviewhttp://decon.co/1544/estevan-oriol-x-adidas-unrtd-mag-interview/
http://decon.co/1544/estevan-oriol-x-adidas-unrtd-mag-interview/#respondFri, 05 May 2017 18:17:36 +0000http://decon.co/?p=1544Oriol talked with UNRTD, discussing his career from the start with Cypress Hill, life threatening photoshoots, and LA influence. Read the full article Here Oriol recently curated the first installment of the adidas Originals ‘NMD’ Immersive Photo Gallery Experience, where he was joined by fifteen up-and-coming street photographers for an urban exploration shoot, of which...]]>

Oriol talked with UNRTD, discussing his career from the start with Cypress Hill, life threatening photoshoots, and LA influence. Read the full article Here

Oriol recently curated the first installment of the adidas Originals ‘NMD’ Immersive Photo Gallery Experience, where he was joined by fifteen up-and-coming street photographers for an urban exploration shoot, of which Estevan candidly chatted with us about afterwards, regaling on his journey from music to photography, and just how he manages to stay relevant in today’s highly-saturated and competitive photography industry.

It’s interesting how brands are tapping into organic aspects of creative culture these days. How did this gallery project come about with adidas?
Basically, adidas reached out to me. I’ve done a few projects with them. I collaborated with them through Undefeated a couple of times. We did a “Top 10 Shoe” and came out with a photo book, and another photo book about basketball. Then I did a photoshoot and lookbook again for Undefeated with the James Bond brand and David Beckham. Then this one came up… I think I’ve been on their radar because I’ve done a few projects with them in the past, so they know I can deliver whatever they want.

They hit me up to do this project where I walked around with 16 or 17 street photographers that they handpicked to go to different locations of my choosing. Everybody then shoots in their vision at the same locations.

As you were curating this exhibition, what cues guided you in developing the visual message for what would eventually be on display?
As I was looking at all of the work, I had to pick 16 completely different looks. I didn’t want to pick all shots of the low riders… or of the shoes. Being the curator of it all, I had to pick 16 shots that were different. I did however select some shots of the low riders being that that’s my background. It was a great experience. I never really curated a bunch of photography that wasn’t mine. It was a lot of work with a short deadline–basically overnight. At first I thought I bit off more than I could chew with this one, ya know [laughs]. Once I started I was like “f$ck it. I gotta finish it,” and it came out really sick. The presentation blew me away. They turned the prints around really quick. The framing! The projections! adidas really smashed.

How did you end up running with Cypress Hill and becoming tour manager for them and Soul Assassins?
Back in those days I was doing security, working as a doorman, and that’s how I met all the bands. And because I got to meet all of those people, they saw how I worked and the guys from Cypress Hill liked how I carried myself. I had respect for everybody and treated everybody good, but I didn’t let nobody push over on me. They liked that and said “hey you wanna do a job with us? It’s called tour managing.” It just evolved into this huge job, but the way it evolved was at an okay pace to where I could handle it, and I wasn’t overwhelmed. ‘Cuz if you would have said hey we need you to be tour manager and just threw all of this shit at me at once, I wouldn’t know what the hell… wouldn’t have known where to start.

…

]]>http://decon.co/1544/estevan-oriol-x-adidas-unrtd-mag-interview/feed/0Mass Appeal & Decon Partner With Universal Music Grouphttp://decon.co/1512/mass-appeal-decon-partner-with-universal-music-group/
http://decon.co/1512/mass-appeal-decon-partner-with-universal-music-group/#respondFri, 05 May 2017 18:17:25 +0000http://decon.co/?p=1512 “Mass Appeal, the graffiti magazine turned multi-platform brand, announced on Monday that it has taken a $6 million series A investment. Universal Music Group led the round, which also included funding from Evolution Media, Jon Jashni, Charles King, Michael Kassan, and Usher. Founded in 1996, Mass Appeal drew acclaim for its gritty coverage of hip-hop...]]>

“Mass Appeal, the graffiti magazine turned multi-platform brand, announced on Monday that it has taken a $6 million series A investment.

Universal Music Group led the round, which also included funding from Evolution Media, Jon Jashni, Charles King, Michael Kassan, and Usher.

Founded in 1996, Mass Appeal drew acclaim for its gritty coverage of hip-hop and urban style. It ceased publication in 2008. Rapper Nas revived the outlet with a six-figure investment in 2013, according to Forbes.

The company has since launched Mass Appeal Records. It also partnered with CNN Films on a hip-hop-themed documentary and produced scripted programming through a deal with TBS and TNT. Mass Appeal also launched a creative agency, which has worked for clients like Sprite, Under Armour, and Red Bull.

The valuation was not disclosed. Michele Anthony, an executive vice president of Universal Music Group, will take a seat on the company’s board.

“At Universal Music Group, we are creating new opportunities for our artists and labels to forge deeper relationships with fans around the world through music, film, television, video, social media, and brand sponsorships,” Anthony said in a release. “Working with Mass Appeal, we will be able to accelerate that strategy.”

]]>http://decon.co/1216/dopeman-press/feed/0JEAN WINS DIGIDAYhttp://decon.co/1146/jean-wins-digiday-best-branded-video-series/
http://decon.co/1146/jean-wins-digiday-best-branded-video-series/#respondThu, 26 Jan 2017 21:15:33 +0000http://decon.co/?p=1146Congratulations to our collective, JEAN, for this win! Working with Decoded, their hillarious campaign for Dollar Shave Club promoting the “Dull Life” ended as a huge hit, and won for the Best Branded Video Series. Check out the full article below. ]]>Congratulations to our collective, JEAN, for this win! Working with Decoded, their hillarious campaign for Dollar Shave Club promoting the “Dull Life” ended as a huge hit, and won for the Best Branded Video Series. Check out the full article below.